Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-02-10
Propositions TO be Thought Upon.


Bishop MerriIrs rational Outline
Thoughts on Prohibition" would be more
logical if less iheologieal-if he would
separate the morals of political govern
ment from the theology of sin and its
responsibilities; for instance, in bis prop
Ositions that a license tax ON the trade
10 liquors makes the State responsible
~ d partner in criminal traffic, but
That special taxation on the free trade
aud local option of permission OF proEi-
bition do not involve the State in this
moral liability.
Let the following propositions be
thought on:
l. The State is morally guilty of any
notorious and prevalent practice of
crime which it ,-Jes not try to prevent
by appropriate practical penalties. If
the selling of liquor is by nature and by
the morals of the common law criminal
in character, the State which does not
punish the criminal practice by eDacting
penalties and judicial means of enforce
ment, is morally responsible for the
crime
2. If the State holds the selling of
liquor crime to be put down by penal
ties, and if it abnegates its duty and au-
thority and shuffies it off upon the
chances of local option. and thereby liz
censes the local authorities to 60 as they
please, either to allow or to prevent, it
makes itself morally responsible for the
crime. or all the inventians local op-
ton is the one alone that has neither
moral nor governmental principle to
stand on.
8. If the selling of liquor is free, the
restraint or regulation by tax, whether
called license or tax. makes no diff
ference in the States moral responsible
ty for the trade.
4. The laying of special tax on q
selling that is free, is not permission.
is not license, and does not add any
thing to the States moral responsibility
for the selling.
5. Prohibition by local option encoun-
ters all and more of the difficulties which
have made prohibition by option of the
General Assembly impracticable. It's
first and only assured effect is TO abolish
tho tav ON fba dri1biDo piaoao Tho ra-
tional belief is, that in nearly all cases
it would practically restsre free trade,as
under the former prohibitory lava.
6. Taxation has these advantages over
prohibition or license: 1t is enforced by
summary distraint on the contents of
the drinking place; whereas the enforce
ment of license or prohibition can be
only by prosecution of persons, In which
the difficulties of technical proof have
always proved iDsurmountable, and the
juries still more so.
r. If, in the absence of legislation the
selling of liquors is free, the same as the
selling of bread, neither closed license
tax nor an open special tax creates any
moral responsibility In the State.
s. The selling of drink has two parts
If crime, 1t is of two. The drinker is
the active party. He proposes, the sell
er disposes. If crime, the buyer
is the principal. The public con-
science can never be keyed up to high
pitch in so crooked line as to think
the selling of drink crime, which does
not think the buying and drinking
crime. The law of crime must deal
alike with buyer and seller. Therefore,
the enforcement of the law of crime
against the seller alone will always lack
the support of the public sense of just
ice.-S R. r., Gin. Com. Gaz.